This is an opportunity to showcase your work and meet your future employer all at the one event.A real chance to give your career a big lift to a new level

Are you a Pharmaceutical Research Postgraduate with some interesting work you would like to showcase to peers and key decision makers in industry?What if you could meet employers and key industry players and chat about possible opportunities?At this new JPAG Pharmaceutical Analysis Postgraduate Research and Careers Symposium you can.

Following the success in 2017 of the inaugural pharmaceutical analysis symposium for postgraduate students and early career stage scientists, JPAG announces the 2018 event. This will take place on Tuesday 20th November 2018 at the Royal Society of Chemistry, Piccadilly, in central London.

The symposium will provide the opportunity for delegates to showcase their work, either as a podium or poster presentation, and to network with peers, academics and industrial scientists. This is the time to showcase your work to your peers to a friendly, sympathetic audience. Presentations that have been given at another conference within the last year are eligible.

PrizesThe Geoffrey Phillips Analytical Science Award, with a bursary of up to £1,000, will be awarded for the best oral presentation. There will a prize for the runner-up. There will also be prizes awarded for the best poster presentations.For details of the Geoffrey Phillips Award, please see below..

EligibilityEarly career stage scientists with less than 10 years postgraduate experience are eligible.

SubmissionsSubmissions submitted to this event should relate to the use of analytical measurements in the characterisation or quality control of active substances and drug products. These include:

The closing date for submission of abstracts will be announced soon - please watch for details

Networking and Careers FairWould you like to attend but do not have any work to present on this occasion? Then you should visit the Careers Fair to meet with big industry pharma and other key contacts and take advantage of the great networking opportunities available at this symposium. This could be the event to provide a step-change to your professional career. Perhaps your future employer will be here.

Registration and concessionsFurther details will be announced soon

What did delegates say about their experience of the 2017 symposium?The symposium provided an opportunity to learn more about pharma and current developments. The careers fair was excellent and informative. The opportunities to speak to careers advisors were very useful. The company representative gave tailored advice and asked for a CV.Companies and organisations attending the event were: Almac, AstraZeneca, Envigo, GlaxoSmithKline, MHRA, Mylan and Pfizer

Submissions

The closing date for submission of abstracts will be announced soon - please watch for details

Submissions submitted to this event should relate to the use of analytical measurements in the characterisation or quality control of active substances and drug products. These include:

PRESENTING A POSTER OR PODIUM PRESENTATIONAbstractsPlease submit an abstract for your podium or poster presentation.1. Abstracts should include the following: Abstract title, Authors and affiliations (with the presenting author underlined), Objectives or Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions and References. The abstract, including references, should not exceed one page of 12-point text.2. Abstracts must communicate a clear scientific message and contain quantitative or qualitative data. Abstracts which promote any product or service will not be accepted. 3. All necessary approvals must have been obtained, including those from industrial sponsors, where appropriate, prior to submission. Any research communicated that required ethical approval must state that approval has been obtained from the relevant local ethics committee. 4. To submit an abstract, click on the SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT button below and complete the details. This will generate an e-mail. Attach the abstract to the e-mail as a Word document attachment and send the e-mail. The abstract will be acknowledged upon receipt and will be reviewed for acceptance.5. By submitting the abstract the author agrees that the abstract will be made available at the event, and also on the JPAG website. The corresponding author will be notified of the outcome soon after the submission closing date.

Podium presentationsPresenters will be allowed 15 minute for the presentation and 5 minutes for questions.

Poster presentationsPosters should be prepared for presentation for display on a poster board 1800 mm high x 900 mm wide (portrait format) and preferably in A0 size. Posters must be clear and self-explanatory. Lettering must be readable at 2 metres (suggested minimum height of characters 8 mm, minimum line width 0.7 mm). Posters should be put up using Velcro (supplied) by 10.30 h on the day of the symposium and taken down by 17.00h. The presenter should be available at the poster board during the lunch and refreshment breaks.

Please keep the date in your diary and plan to attend.

Networking and Careers FairAs well as the presentation and awards, the event will also host a Careers Fair and give presenters and non-presenters the opportunity to meet with big industry pharma and other key contacts. This could be the event to give your career a lift to the next level and meet your future employer.

So even if you do not have any work to present on this occasion, there will be great networking opportunities.

Delegates of the event will be given the opportunity to meet one-to-one with various companies to discuss potential career opportunities and to take your CV, so make sure you bring plenty copies along.

Registration details will be announced soon.

The Careers symposium, running alongside the Postgraduate Research Awards, is a great venue for representatives of your company to meet early career scientists who are looking for advice on how to progress their careers. You will have the opportunity to meet postgraduate students who are carrying out innovative research, and also undergraduates, all of whom are planning their future careers and may be interested in your company.

If you are looking to appoint the best researchers for your company in the near future, this event could provide an excellent opportunity to meet some of the brightest early career scientists and learn about their research work. There will be opportunities for discussions in an informal environment, and to provide advice about career development in the pharmaceutical industry.

JPAG would like to invite your company to attend this symposium and gain the opportunity to meet with some of our brightest students, potentially high quality employees, and offer advice about career development. You will be able to send up to four delegates (subject to availability) who will be able to advise students on career opportunities.

This is a new initiative and JPAG will be covering the cost of the symposium, so there is no charge for you to attend. If, however, you are interested in providing a donation to help with the costs of running the event then please contact treasurer@jpag.org

In addition to the award contestants there will be an open invitation to other students to attend to benefit from the presentations. All attendees will be able to informally meet with leading pharmaceutical and analytical equipment companies in order to discuss career opportunities in industry and receive advice on career progression.

Gaining access to potentially high quality recruits is important so we hope that you would like to attend. If so then please click the link below to register.

Alternatively if you would prefer to discuss it further then please send your enquiry by email to events@jpag.org

Also, if you have scientists who you think might qualify for entry for the award then please encourage them to enter.

FOR RESEARCHERS

Q. When will the event start and end?A. Arrival and Registration is at 10:30 and the start is at 11:00 to allow those travelling long distances to arrive in timeThe end time of the symposium is 16:30 when there will be an included wine and career networking reception with the announcement of prize winners.The meeting closes at 18:00

Q. How will the Careers Forum work?A. There will be a number of 'stations' staffed by careers advisors

Q. What is the timetable? Does it take place at the same time as the presentations at the symposium?A. The Careers session will take place between the plenary and podium sessions, so you will not have to miss these sessions to attend

Q. How long do I have with each person?A. Depending on demand, you will have at least 5 minutes with each careers advisor

Q. Do I need to bring copies of my CV?A. We recommend that you do so

Q. What is expected of me before I am interviewed?A. Prepare a few questions for the careers advisor in advance; be prepared to give a short statement of your particular skills

Q. How many and which organisations will be present?A. These details will appear in advance on the JPAG website

Q. How many career interviews can I have?A. Depending on demand, you should have the opportunity to meet up to five Careers advisors

Q. Are there any relevant web sites of the organisation concerned that I can look at before I come?A. Please watch for details on the website

Q. If I can't meet them on the day, how can I get in contact with them after the event?A. Please watch for details on the website

Q. Will I be offered a job?A. There is no guarantee that you will receive a job offer. Before finishing the discussion with the careers advisor, be sure you understand what the arrangements are for any follow-up contact

Q. Can I claim free registration?A. Free registration is available to all attendees; prior registration on-line is required

Q. Can I claim a travel bursary?A. Travel bursaries are provided for all those who are giving a podium presentation or presenting a poster, based on a submitted abstract; some additional travel bursaries may be available and will be awarded in the order of receipt of registrations

Q. I may wish to submit an abstract; how do I do this?A. The submission date has now passed

FOR CAREERS ADVISORS

Q. As a Careers Advisor, how do I register my interest in the Careers Forum and who can I meet?A. See the information on the 'Careers Advisors' tab. Then register here.

Attention all researchersAre you a PhD student, post-Doctoral Fellow or young scientist currently carrying out research on an innovative application of pharmaceutical analytical science?

If so, would you like the opportunity to win a prestigious award with a bursary of up to £1000 to attend a conference relevant to your area of interest?

Each year, the JPAG awards the Geoffrey Phillips Analytical Science Award. The 2018 Award will be made to the presenter of the best short paper in pharmaceutical analysis at the JPAG Pharmaceutical analysis postgraduate research awards and careers symposium at the Royal Society of Chemistry, Piccadilly, in central London on Tuesday 20th November.

To be eligible the presenter should have equivalent of less than ten years post-graduate experience.

Submission of abstracts for 2018.The website will soon be open for abstract submission - please watch for further details.

The Geoffrey Phillips Analytical Science Award 2017The 2017 Geoffrey Phillips Analytical Science Award was made to Alessandra D'Angelo, University of Greenwich, at the JPAG symposium session at the APS International PharmSci Conference at the University of Hertfordshire on Tuesday 5th September.Her podium presentation was on Micro-photogrammetry as a tool for characterisation of dissolution behaviour of pharmaceutical dosage forms.Ms D'Angelo will be supported to attend a relevant conference of her choice by a bursary of up to £1000.

Podium presentations were also made by:Martine Furdal, Patheon, on A lean discriminative 2-stage dissolution method for early phase enteric coated formulationsJesus Calvo Castro, University of Hertfordshire on Chemical evaluation of internet products containing Novel Psychoactive Substances by ICP-OES coupled to chemometrics to investigate supply/distribution chainsSamar Thiab, Liverpool John Moores University on The development of analytical procedures using ICP-OES and ICP-MS for the analysis of trace metals in pharmaceutical formulationsDan Barker, University of Hertfordshire on Solid-Phase MicroExtraction (SPME) detection of drugs In tissues and organs: in vitro method development formulationsSarah Fawaz, Kingston University, on Stability of meropenem after reconstitution for administration by continuous infusion.

Testimonials from past Award winners

To find out how winning the 2016 Award helped one young pharmaceutical analyst in his career, read this testimonial from Mr Husain A Naqi a second year PhD student in the Dept of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath...Geoffrey Phillips Analytical Science Award Winner 2016

My research is to develop robust pharmaceutical and forensic science analytical methods based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) for the rapid impurity profiling of illicit drugs and their cutting agents. It was a privilege to win JPAG’s “Geoffrey Phillips Analytical Science Award” at the 2016 UK APS PharmSci conference held in Glasgow. Winning this Analytical Science Award allowed me to give an invited oral presentation at the Emerging Analytical Professionals (EAP) 2017 meeting held in Kettering, which helped me to get in touch with many other analytical scientists. Additionally, the Prize allowed me to apply for an invited oral presentation titled “Pharmaceutical analysis of police seizures and amnesty bins in the Southwest of England” at the 254th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, 20-24th August 2017 in Washington DC. Presenting in the Analytical Chemistry Division/Advances in Analytical Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology Section allowed me to gain insight into current research in the field of drug analysis using cutting edge analytical instruments and methods, and to network on an international level. The conference included plenaries by top scientists in the fields of chemical analysis and structural elucidation of unknown compounds, with more than 13,000 delegates and more than a thousand poster presentations! The ACS was an opportunity not only to gain insight to my research field, but also in to other interesting fields of chemistry. My goals as an analytical scientist are to gain a better understanding of the purity and the cutting agents associated with illicit drugs samples especially Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS), studying the advantages and disadvantages of each analytical technique, especially applying them to complex mixtures of unknown samples. My research has clearly shown that drug (ab)users cannot be sure what they are taking, in this way it is making a contribution to a harm reduction strategy. Sept 2017

Winning the 2014 Award helped another young pharmaceutical analyst in her career, as this testimonial shows...

My name is Amira Guirguis. I am a final year Ph.D. researcher at the University of Hertfordshire (Hatfield, UK), investigating the identification of new psychoactive substances using spectroscopic and computational approaches. It was a great honour to be awarded the esteemed JPAG's "Geoffrey Phillips Analytical Science Award" at the 2014 APS PharmSci conference. The JPAG's Geoffrey Phillips Analytical Science Award has provided me with the privilege of presenting my research at both the Analytical Symposium (Manchester, UK) and the Emerging Analytical Professionals Conference (Bristol, UK). This has offered me with the opportunity of networking with experts in my research field. The Geoffrey Phillips Analytical Science Award has provided me with a monetary award that I used to attend The SCIX 2015 conference (Rhode Island, USA) and present my research internationally. The conference programme covered various interesting disciplines such as analytical and medicinal chemistry, biologics, forensics and the use of chemometrics. The sessions demonstrated the different aspects of analytical science. The conference has also included a large exhibition including suppliers of the latest spectroscopic instruments and devices. At the conference, I was able to interact, collaborate and network with peer scientists and researchers from both academia and industry, which has enhanced my personal and professional network and knowledge in my area of research as well as other areas of interest. At these three events, as well as in other events such as the Life and Medical Science conference (Hertfordshire, UK) and the NPS conference (Italy), I shared my experience in winning the Award and encouraged younger researchers in the audience to submit their research to the APS Conference.As a pharmacist and an analytical scientist, I thrive to use my knowledge and research to improve our understanding of the analysis, profiling and dissemination of knowledge on new untested chemicals such as Novel Psychoactive Substances and thereby develop better understanding and identification techniques that will prevent health harms and update professionals.

STUDENT BURSARIES

Are you a postgraduate researcher in pharmaceutical or chemical analysis? If so, did you know that you can now apply for a bursary which provides complimentary registration and assistance with travel costs to attend a JPAG meeting?

Under this scheme, JPAG offers FIVE bursaries for each of the JPAG symposia held during the year.During the meeting you will have the opportunity to chat with other like-minded scientists, including speakers, other delegates, and JPAG committee members.

To apply, please send a brief statement on why you wish to attend to Dr Laura Waters (l.waters@hud.ac.uk), indicating which meeting you feel is most appropriate to your area of work and details of what you would like to present. Preference will be given to those who wish to present a poster. A full list of future meetings can be found at www.jpag.org/

ELIGIBILITY. Postgraduate student bursaries are open to full-time postgraduate students (MSc and PhD students) registered at a school of pharmacy or chemistry in the United Kingdom.

Winners will receive a complimentary registration to attend a symposium and assistance with travel costs up to a maximum of £100 using the most cost-efficient means of transport. In exceptional circumstances this maximum may be exceeded. However, the applicant must make the request in advance to treasurer@jpag.org and receive specific agreement in writing before making any bookings.

Bursaries are not available to support attendance at joint events that are not organised by JPAG.

PRESENTING A POSTER OR PODIUM PRESENTATION AT A JPAG EVENT

Presenting a poster If you are planning on presenting a poster at a JPAG meeting, click on the following button to download some information on what you need to know and do:

Unless otherwise advertised, posters should be prepared for presentation for display on a poster board 1800 mm high x 900 mm wide (i.e. portrait format) and preferably in A0 size. Posters must be clear and self-explanatory. Lettering must be readable at 2 metres (suggested minimum height of characters 8 mm, minimum line width 0.7 mm).

Presenting a podium presentation If you are planning on presenting a podium presentation at a JPAG event, please send an abstract for review. A sample abstract can be found below.

2015: Claudio Vallotto, University of WarwickSterilization by γ-irradiation: evaluating the effects on pharmaceutical excipientsMr Vallotto used his bursary to attend the 58th Annual Rocky Mountain Conference on Magnetic Resonance, July 17-21, 2016, Colorado

2014: Amira Guirguis, University of HertfordshireInvestigation of legal high substances, common cutting agents and adulterants using portable Raman spectroscopy

2013: Dahlia Salman, Kingston UniversityOptimising home chemotherapy through analytical research; the physicochemical stability of Mesna using LC-MS/MS and NMR

2012: Dr Jonathan Moffat, University of East AngliaPhotothermal infrared microscopy; a novel method for the analysis of single particles of pharmaceutical materials